Doctors urged to live up to expectation

A former Minister of Health and Member of Parliament, Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor, has challenged young doctors to live-up to the expectation of the tax-payer as committed and   result-driven medical practitioners to the glory of God and mankind.

Dr Addo-Kufuor urged doctors to be close to God through prayer, since God's blessings were the pivot of human success.

Dr Addo-Kufuor, also a former Minister of Defence and the Interior, threw the challenge when he addressed final year medical students of the University of Cape Coast  at Elmina on the theme: 'Fundamental Factors and Guiding Principles: Leading a Successful Life in Practice' .

Dr Addo-Kufuor, who doubles as a lecturer in Internal Medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), walked the soon-to-graduate medical doctors through the medical profession in totality to arm them for the task ahead.

He challenged the young doctors to display a high level of integrity, a ­­­human disposition, modesty, a sense of responsibility, efforts at continuing professional education and good relationship with colleagues, patients and society at large, since the general public had a unique image of doctors.

Dr Addo-Kufuor urged them  to see their qualification as a step to a higher level in the medical field, challenging them to specialise through courses at local medical institutions.

He advised those interested in the academia to immediately think about possible areas of research and publication into medical journals.

Dr Addo-Kufuor made a personal appeal to young female doctors to pursue higher learning and not to bow to family and societal demands after doing so well in school.

He said, 'One would have wished that after graduation and winning many awards, these fine ladies would take the lead in career progression . . . but they bow to family pressure, marry and settle down'.

Dr Addo-Kufuor intimated that 'the patient is the doctor's customer,' and asked that doctors in their dealings with the patient, must be aware of the principles which underpin medical ethics — patient sovereignty, respect, confidentiality, privacy and consent.

He  said no matter where they would be employed, it  was when their services were sought after by patients that they could state that they were on the path to success.

The former minister urged doctors to treat every patient equally, stressing 'the 'waakye' seller and the cabinet minister must receive the same quality of care, since all patients have equal right and must be treated with respect and consideration.'

He reminded them of        tribulations associated with the profession - the unexpected death of a patient, wrong misdiagnosis, hostility of patients and their relatives in case of the unexpected—and advised them to maintain their composure and fortitude in such situations.